Fire Emblem: Knights of the Star
by LauncesMechinist
Summary: The story prior to Imperial Flames. A group of young militia volunteers happen upon a lone woman attacked by bandits in the forest near their home in the Kingdom of Caiber. Little do they know that in helping her, they have been drawn into a war of light versus darkness. STORY HAS NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN, I'VE JUST BEEN BUSY ELSEWHERE AND ALSO DEALING WITH FAMILY MATTERS.
1. The Vespa Patrol

Hello Everyone! Here's the story _before_ Imperial Flames! (See? I told ya'll I had a story to lead up to it!)

A/N: Sorry about the long update. Decided to revise some aspects of the story as well as change the rating. I hope y'all like it!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING FROM THE FIRE EMBLEM SERIES ONLY MY OWN OC'S.

Prologue I: Vespa Patrol

Location: Village of Vespa, Kingdom of Caiber

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The sensation that he was swimming felt odd. He _knew_ the village of Vespa was no where near any of the major streams or rivers in Caiber. Suddenly, a cold chill went up his spine and, like magic, Albert Stahl's eyes shot wide open and he leapt from his bed and headbutted the wooden bucket that had just emptied it's contents all over him and his bed.

As soon as Albert's senses focused, he saw, and heard, Felix Aricson, his best friend, hooting and laughing right there in the doorway, holding the rope that was strung to the aforementioned bucket. He had started laughing when Albert had come awake and leapt from the bed and then looked at his best friend.

"Well sleeping beauty, you awake now?"

Albert responded by growling and throwing a nearby goblet at his friend. Felix laughed again and ducked, the goblet sailing over his head and a moment later a metalic _clang_ followed by a startled curse echoed up the stairs. Felix scratched his chin and looked back at Albert, eyes filled with mirth.

"Accuracy could use some work; still though, at least a 'C' for knocking Georgie's helm off his head."

By this time Albert was now awake (whether he liked it or not). He pulled on his boots and tightened the belts on his leather cuirass. Reaching down, he grabbed the scabbard of his iron sword and fastened it. Now dressed and equipped for the day, he stepped out of his room in the inn and walked down the steps.

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When Albert reached the bottom of the steps, he looked in the dining hall and found his other squadmates in the Vespa Militia. First of course there was Felix, who was still looking rather pleased with himself after this morning's stunt, his blue eyes still twinkling with mischief. Felix was a young man in his early twenties and the youngest son of the village horse breeder. He wasn't going to amount to much in his father's expectations, having no interest in horses other than riding them from place top place and constantly getting into fights with his older brothers.

When he had joined the militia, his father had disowned him and told the commander that Felix was _his_ problem now; the commander had then promptly (and in many people's eyes, rightfully) knocked the horse breeder flat on his rear, minus a few teeth. He stood six foot even, broad muscles from his years swinging heavy axes around as both a lumberjack and a militiaman. He was dressed plainly for the day, a leather curaiss covering his worn and ragged blue shirt, worn brown trousers, and his old black leather boots. His pitch black hair sticking out at odd angles denoting he had only been awake _slightly_ longer than Albert.

Seated next to him was the archer of the squad, Callen Moss, often enough called 'Cal'. Cal was what most would call the 'black sheep' of the Moss family. While most of the family were horsemen of some renown, Cal couldn't ride a horse properly to save his life. His attempts to ride often had unpredictable (and hilarious) ends. Most notable was the time a horse threw him and he crashed through the door to the inn's outhouse and landed head first in the privvy. This was just after Felix had gotten out after regretting pigging out during the inn's 'Ten Bean Spectacular Dinner'.

Needless to say Cal's normally flame red hair was died brown for a few days and the entire village kept a minimum of sixty paces from him and avoided standing downwind of him for just as long. Also unlike the rest of his family, he was thin and wiry. He could outrun anyone in the village and was also the deadliest bowman in the woods.

Next to Cal sat his big brother, George Moss, who was busy trying to remove a small dent from his helm and scowling at both Felix and Albert. George was by no means a harsh man. In his late twenties he was actually called by many the 'Gentle Giant'. George stood seven foot six and his body was built like a brick wall. He was also considered to be one of the best looking men in the militia, his brown eyes matched his hair which he kept cropped short so it wouldn't catch in his helm. Despite this, he tended to be somewhat aloof when women spoke to him.

Unlike his brother, who was the worst horseman in the village, George was one of the best. He had often dreamed of leaving Vespa and heading for Castle Vaile to recieve knight's training, however, the loss of his father had all but stopped those plans cold. His lance work was what had secured his place in the militia.

The last member of the squad was the only woman in the squad, Kate Alwinn, the only other sword user in the squad aside from him. She was the only daughter of the mayor of Vespa. Her lithe body concealed a will of iron and a held a strength equal to that of steel. The death of her mother at the hands of bandits was the driving force behind her learning the ways of the sword. Revenge against the bandits was one reason, the other was so that she wasn't defenseless should the same party of bandits return one day. Her long golden hair covered one of her green eyes, the other eye was somewhat unfocused, showing that she, like Felix and Albert, was still plagued by sleep.

Her sword was nearby on the weapon rack, as were the others. George's spear was resting by the wall alongside Felix's axe and Cal's bow. When Albert stepped in the hall, Kate looked up at him and smiled.

"Well Al, looks like Felix finally got you up huh? I told him it would take more than _one_ bucket of water to wake you up. Looks like I was wrong." She reached into the coin purse at her belt and handed Felix five coins from it, to which Felix's smile got wider.

Albert chuckled at the fact he was the subject of a bet and sat down at the table and grabbed two of the still warm biscuits and began to help himself to what breakfast was left over. As he began to eat, he turned to Felix.

"So, what does the Captain have for us to do today, more patrols?" Felix looked down at his drink and nodded.

"We are to patrol along the valley today alongside Max and Aban's squads. We get the roads thanks to George being a Cavalier, Max gets the riverbank, and Aban gets the hunting trails. To be honest, I don't know the reason for all these patrols. I mean, seriously, Vespa is out in the middle of the Caiber Forest, we border the Hyras Desert to the west and the more 'civilized lands' to the east. We are far from the borders with the Chronos Empire with all their troubles and rebellions, and we are far from Castle Vaile and those scheming councilors, nobles and their ilk. Who would attack us out here, and what for? Trees? Dirt? Manure? Face it, as militia, we will be stuck here performing patrols until we are all grey and wrinkled."

"If you have something to say about my ordering your patrols Felix, all you have to do is say so and I'll put you on grave detail at the old cemetary."

Everyone turned to see the commander of the militia, Captain Vesper Santon. He was a mountain of a man that made even George look small, and was trained in the art of the sword and axe. He had come to Vespa some twenty years ago and was a complete enigma.

According to one story, he had been a hero in some foreign war, in another, a warrior wrongly accused of some great crime. The most popular, yet outlandish story was that he had once been one of the Knights Vanguard in the Knightdom of Gawain, and a general in the Knightdom's Armies. It was _this_ story that most of the children and young men in the village chose to believe. The militia also chose to believe this story for, true or false, it didn't change the fact that time and time again Vesper had proven himself in patrols and battle against both the animals in the wild and the occasional bandit that thought to invade.

Upon seeing their Captain, Felix paled and began stammering. He stopped when Vesper raised his hand.

"You are right about one thing though, it has been too long since I sent a patrol out into the woods. Albert, you and your Rangers will be reassigned for today, as you know three of Brock's squad are down with colds, the damn result of that 'cold water sobering' technique of his. You know the one where he ducks the drunkards heads into tubs of cold water several times? Anyway, I'm sending Gordon with you and your squad and he will be patrolling the _western_ forest. Here, look on the map here. This will be your squads first time patrolling the western forest close to the desert. If all goes well, this patrol will only last a few days. As a precaution, because we've recently had bandits sighted in that area, I'll be sending Miles' squad with you as well. Now unless Felix has any objections about this patrol route, finish your breakfasts and equip yourselves accordingly. Oh and by the way, Albert, before you do anything else, it has reached my ears that Felix has been slacking off in his training. I want you and George to head for the practice field and put him through his paces. See if he's as sharp as he always says he is." Felix groaned, while Albert nodded and George grinned wickedly at Felix. As he turned to leave, Vesper caught himself and turned back.

"Also, Albert, I want _you_ to undergo some training as well. I want to see how your arm has healed up after that drunken bull riding idea of Felix's." Felix chuckled remembering the event while again Albert nodded.

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As the group,including Vesper, stepped out to the field, Vesper grabbed the practice weapons: a sword, a lance, and an axe. The axe he tossed to Felix, the lance to George, and to Albert, the sword. He turned to Felix.

"Alright Felix, you and George go first. Standard training rules: As in combat, anything goes. To 'kill' your opponent you must first score two 'wounding blows' then one 'killing' blow. Three strikes. Let's see if Felix can pull it off."

Felix dropped into his fighting stance as did George. Felix smirked.

"Nice to see you get off your high horse and fight on the ground for a change, don't worry Georgie, I'll go easy on ya." George chuckled.

"Remember Felix, _never_ underestimate your opponent, you just might get a nasty surprise. Now, have at thee!"

Felix charged at the dismounted cavalier, axe raised. George laughed and easily sidestepped the clumsy swing. He spun the lance around and struck Felix in the chest with the haft of the weapon, winding him. George laughed and spun around cracking Felix over the head with the sackcloth wrapped 'head' of the lance, knocking Felix face first into the mud and then tapped him on the back with the weapon as Vesper called to hold.

As Felix got up and wiped himself off, George rested on the lance, looked at the beaten fighter, and chuckled lightly.

"Oh yes, I can _certainly_ see the results of _your _type of training. Would you like to go again or will you stay there wallowing in your pain and pride?"

Without warning, Felix roared and charged George again, launching into a flurry of blows. George, momentarily surprised, was able to block most of the blows, however, two of the wild strikes got through. The first knocked the lance aside, the second was only a glancing blow, but it turned George's helmet halfway around his head, partilly blinding him.

George tried to counter, however, Felix easily dodged and cracked him on the back with the wooden practice axe. George held up a hand signalling he yielded. Felix counted his blows, realized he'd landed the two training blows and the final 'killing' blow. Smiling, he turned to face Albert.

"Got anything smart to say to me Al?" Albert shrugged.

"Why waste breath when it's your _actions_ the commander wants to see? Besides, I'm the one the commander wants to see. Ready yourself!"

With a flourish, Albert readied his practice sword. Likewise flourishing, Felix readied his axe. They stood a few paces from each other staring each other down. With a yell, Felix rushed Albert. Albert blocked the downward strike and parried, striking Relix across the ribs. Spun to dodged another strike from Felix and struck him again across the back.

"One more hit and you are defeated." Felix smirked.

"Good thing I'm just getting warmed up."

Felix brought the axe down over Albert's head. Albert quickly blocked the blow by getting his sword under the head of the axe and flipped the axe away. Albert was just in time to see Felix headbutt him, knocking him back.

Albert struggled to keep his balance, however, he was on the ground and at Felix's mercy. Rule one of combat was _**never**_ get knocked to the ground. Albert kicked at Felix and rolled away and stood up.

Readying his sword again, Albert feinted left and then rolled right, catching Felix by complete surprise. The sword came down and stopped just a hair from Felix's neck. Albert smiled.

"Dead."

"Damn, oh well, sword beats axe as the lessons go, eh?"

Albert turned to the Captain and rested on the practice sword.

"Was Felix's performance up to your expectations sir?" Vesper nodded.

"Indeed, my fears are abated, at least about his combat skills. I _still_ will not allow him next to my daughter however. I have also seen enough to feel confident about restoring you to the combat roster. Now that this is out of the way, gentlemen, and lady, head for the smithy and get your equipment. Especially you Albert, I've heard your sword is about due for some repairs."

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Albert looked over the condition of his sword. True, the iron sword was still in good condition, however, due to his intense practice sessions with Felix and George before his injury, the blade had developed several nicks in it. He felt uneasy looking down the length of iron. He finally decided to head for the smithy before he did anything else. When he arrived at the smithy, he saw Felix there as well. The smith, John, was red-faced from yelling at Felix and telling him (again) that his axe is _not_ a hammer or something to use like a hammer. When Albert spoke up, John turned to him and immediately went back to his jovial self.

"Albert my lad, what can ol' John do for ye today?"

Albert drew his sword and laid it on the counter. John nodded and carefully examined the blade.

"Need a new sword eh? I'm not surprised considering how much training you're puttin' in over at the barracks these days. You know, I think what you need is not one sword but _two_. A primary blade and a secondary. Do you know how to wield knives? Daggers? Short swords?"

Albert shook his head for the knives and daggers, but he _did_ know a few things about a short sword. After all, a short sword is just like a sword only slighly smaller for tighter spaces. John looked through the weapons and smiled.

"Here ya go. I know the militia pays you next week so consider this bought in good faith."

John presented Albert with a belt with two scabbards on it. One was for a longsword and the other was for a short sword. He saw that John had given him a Steel Sword and an Iron Short Sword.

"John, I can't take this, it's too much." The old smith harrumphed loudly.

"Trust me lad, I was in the militia in my younger years. The Western Woods and the Desert Trail are nothing to sneeze at. I'd send you off with more, but I've only got limited supplies of steel and iron to work with, and bronze won't do you much good out there anyway. Unlike _this_ knucklehead who I have half a mind to sell him several Bronze Axes so that he doesn't destroy another of my iron or, Naga forbid, one of my Steel Axes."

Albert laughed at this, then nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure Felix uses the _correct_ side of a Steel Axe on anything we come across." John mock sighed and relented.

"Alright, but if I catch one dent or nick, _O-N-E_, I'll use that axe to skin him alive then salt him."

Albert began laughing, much to Felix's chagrin. As he turned to leave, George walked in alongside Gordon. The smith smiled and nodded.

"Ah, Gordon, good. I was just about to send one of my boys after ya. Your order came in: one Silver Lance and one quiver of Short Spears. Also I fixed that nasty hole in your shield. The next time you think about picking a fight with a bear, don't. And George, I've got your new Steel Lance here and your Javelins ready as well. Oh and here while I'm thinking about it, give this bow to your brother and this sword to Kate. I have a feeling you're going to need them."

Albert gawked when he saw the weapons: a Killer Bow and a Killing Edge. Both were normally expensive weapons yet here was John just handing them out left and right. None the less, Albert walked over and took the bow and sword and handed them to George, who then left the smithy and went to the barracks where, no doubt, Cal and Kate were there cleaning their equipment.

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Albert and Gordon were waiting at the village gate for the rest of the squad. It was almost eleven by the sun dial next to the gate. Gordon's horse, Thunder, was pawing the ground, obviously sharing his rider's anxiety to be gone on patrol, no surprise as both horse and rider were known to be jittery when they weren't doing anything. Albert's horse, Queen, was a little more calm. Normally patrols didn't have horses along with them, however, since this was going to be a long patrol, they would be needing horses to cover the great distances they would travel.

Gordon, being the typical Paladin, was armored head to toe in his plate armor. Albert, being of a more 'travel light' mind only had an iron curaiss, his leather leggings, boots, and gloves, and a small iron sallet helm.

A few moments later, the others arrived. George atop his horse Blanchard, armed and armored in the half-plate armor preferred by cavaliers in the militia. Felix in his leather armor atop Ross, Kate and her horse Pit, and Cal more clutching than sitting in Lina's saddle. After a few more minutes, Miles' men also showed up. Albert nodded to Miles who rode up beside him.

Miles was the only knight in the militia. He wore a suit of plate armor and hefted a lance with ease. With him was Augustus, another cavalier who was well trained with both sword and lance, Daniel, one of the only two mages in the village, and finally Tonaar, one of the few considered 'rank and file' soldiers in the militia. Albert spoke to each of them in turn before Miles unfolded the map.

"So let me get the patrol route straight, my squad will cover the Northern Route, your squad will cover the Southern Route. At the Desert's edge, we'll meet up, join numbers and come back through the Center Route. Did I forget anything?"

Albert shook his head once and turned to his squad.

"Alright, you all heard the plan. Goerge, you and Gordon will ride forward, Kate, you and me will ride in the center on either side of Cal, Felix, you cover the rear. Okay everyone, take a look home, we won't be seeing it for a few days."

Everyone turned back and said a silent farewell to Vespa, turned their horses and started off together along the road out west.

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Okay everyone, Prologue I is up and complete. Hope you all like it. As always reviews are welcome!

_**OC'S in this chapter:**_

**Albert Stahl**: Journeyman: Level: 5. Sword Skill: 'C'. Equipment: Steel Sword, Iron Short Sword, Vulnerary.

_The leader of the Vespa Militia 3rd Squad._

**Felix Aricson**: Fighter: Level: 5. Axe Skill: 'C'. Equipment: Steel Axe, Iron Axe, Vulnerary.

_Albert's best friend and foster brother. The youngest son of Vespa's horse breeder, his joining the militia was only because he had no other option. His being assigned to Albert's squad was the commander's doing to keep the peace._

**Kate Alwinn**: Myrmidon: Level: 5. Sword Skill: 'C'. Equipment: Killing Edge, Iron Sword, Vulnerary.

_The daughter of the Mayor of Vespa. Despite her father's wishes she joined the militia and took up a sword in order to prevent what happened to her mother from happening to anyone else. Trained alongside Albert, though uses a completely different sword style._

**Callen 'Cal' Moss**: Archer: Level: 5. Bow Skill: 'C'. Equipment: Killer Bow, Iron Bow, Vulnerary.

_The youngest of the two Moss brothers. From an early age, Cal showed to have exceptional sight, able to bag a deer or boar with a bow and arrow at long distances. With a quick wit and a sharp tongue, he is as quick to leap to someone's rescue as he is to shoot an arrow at a bandit's head. __Despite this, he is an atrocious horseman._

**George Moss**: Cavalier: Level: 5. Lance Skill: 'C'. Equipment: Steel Lance, Javelins, Vulnerary.

_The oldest of the two Moss brothers. George has a reputation for being one of the best horsemen in the village and his skill in the saddle and with the lance proves it. He's always shielded his little brother from all threats be they wild animal or crazed bandit. Tends to be somewhat aloof when it comes to women._

**Gordon Falson**: Paladin: Level: 1. Lance Skill: 'B' Sword Skill: 'C'. Equipment: Silver Lance, Steel Sword, Short Spears, Vulnerary.

_A veteran Paladin of the Royal Army and an old friend of Vesper Stanton. He has a reputation for being stoic and calm under any circumstances, yet he does __**not**__ like to be kept waiting. His war-horse, Thunder, is of the exact same mindset, pawing the ground restlessly whenever he knows his rider is supposed to be somewhere else._

**Vesper Stanton**: Vanguard: Level: 12. Sword Skill: 'S', Axe Skill: 'A'.

_A wanderer from the Knighdom of Gawain. While nothing is known about his past, none can say he is not honorable. He was the man who improved the training and the conditions of the militia. He personally trained Albert, Kate, and Felix on how to use their weapons properly._

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_**Classes Listed in Chapter**_:

(_This is for those of you who do __**not **__know the classes in Fire Emblem._)

**Journeyman**: A commoner who has been trained in the ways of the sword in the hopes of living a life of adventure. Average stats but quick to learn. Uses swords. Tier 1 class.

**Fighter**: A soldier or thug who dedicates their lives to fighting with axes. High attack power, but low defence. Uses axes. Tier 1 class.

**Myrmidon**: A warrior who has devoted their lives to learning the ways of the sword. High attack power, speed, and skill. Uses swords. Tier 1 class.

**Archer**: Soldiers who use bows to rain death on the battlefield. High attack and skill but low defence and can only attack at range. Uses bows. Tier 1 class.

**Cavalier**: Mounted knights who can use a variety of weapons. High attack, physical defence, and mobility but no magic resistance. Can use any combination of swords, lances, axes, or bows. Most tend to use the sword and lance combination. Tier 1 class.

**Paladin**: Veteran Cavaliers who devote themselves to the pursuit of honor and chivalry. They have extraordinarily high attack and defence, mobility, and moderate magical resistance. Can use any combination of swords, lances, axes, and bows. (sword and bow, sword and lance, sword and axe, lance and axe, etc.) Tier 2 class.

**Vanguard**: Heroes who have performed legendary feats and risen to legendary status in the eyes of the commoners and nobles alike. High attack, defence, skill, and magic resistance. Uses swords and axes. Tier 3 class.

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Okay everyone, the newly modified Prologue Part 1 is up. Hope you all like it. As always reviews, favs, and follows are welcome!


	2. A Cleric's Faith

Good day all! Launces Mechanist withe the second prologue of KotS. Hope ya'll enjoy it.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE FIRE EMBLEM SERIES. ONLY MY OWN OCS.

Prologue II: A Clerics Faith

Location: Caiber Forest Southern Road, Kingdom of Caiber, three days from Vespa, two miles from the gathering point.

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Felix laughed uproarously as, once again, Cal lost his grip on Lina's reins and wound up getting knocked into a low hanging branch. This was the fifth time in the three days they had been on patrol that Cal had had a mishap in the saddle. The first one however, was Felix's doing. He had loosened Nina's belly strap and Cal soon found himself looking _up_ at his horse as the saddle inverted and later had a headache when a large rock struck his head as she galloped along.

Cal dusted himself off, turned a silencing glare at Felix and remounted the horse. Albert shook his head lightly, wondering how Felix could find humor in anything. Still, on an uneventful patrol, it was good to have something break the monotony. George had his head buried in the map and was tracing and retracing their path with a stick of charcoal. He paused and stared at something on the map, then he rode up alongside Albert and Gordon.

"According to the map we should only be two miles from the meeting point with Miles' squad, yet, by this point we should be seeing signs of a forward scout or at least an advance runner. Miles is not one to be tardy. He tends to finish his patrols quickly." Gordon nodded as he heard this.

"If you wish me to Albert, I'll ride ahead and see if I can't meet them." Albert nodded and Gordon spurred Thunder on, galloping hard ahead of the groups leisurely pace.

Kate rode up and sighed.

"How many times do you think Cal will fall out of the saddle before Gordon returns?" Albert shrugged, however, at that moment, they heard a curse and a _whoomph_ as, again, Cal fell backwards out of his saddle. Before Felix had a chance to laugh, a loud horn sounded over the silence: Gordon's alarm horn.

Immediately, everyone in the squad drew and readied their weapons and motioned the horses into a full gallop, including Cal who was hanging over the saddle like a bag of grain and clutched the saddle horn with a white-knuckled grip. They closed the distance rapidly and found the source of the alarm, a group of wagons that had been destroyed. Bodies of several men lay everywhere and the still warm embers of a campfire smouldered in the middle of the wreckage.

Cal got off the horse and moved to the fire. He then saw several series of footprints moving around the fire and then hurredly running into the forest. Albert dismounted and walked up to him.

"What do you see?" The archer leaned next to the fire and studied the burned out wagons ruefully.

"Several men, bandits most likely, camped here. Judging from the bodies of these people, they were merchants heading for Vespa. They were caught by surprise and their guards quickly overwhelmed. The tracks from the battle appear to be perhaps half maybe a day old. Something caught their attention and they hurried into the forest. Judging by the freshly disturbed mud and the still warm embers, four maybe five hours ago at daybreak."

A metal _clank_ caused Cal to draw his bow and aim it at the woods. Gordon and George readied their lances, ready to pierce whatever came out of the woods. What came out through, shocked them. It was a man in iron armor with a blue surcoat, the emblem of the Vespa militia emblazoned on it. Gordon recognized him immediately.

"_TONAAR!" _He yelled as he vaulted out of the saddle and ran to the soldier, who now collapsed, unable to continue. Gordon lifted his viser and was rewarded by Tonaar coughing a gout of blood into his face. Through labored breath, the fallen soldier spoke.

"_G-Gordon, thank Naga it's you. I thought for sure those b-brigands had c-c-caught me cough. My time is ended, we gasp we lost our map in that sudden downpour a the day before ye-yesterday. We missed the marker and went into the desert. B-By the t-time we came back, we were ambushed by bandits and chased in-into the woods. As far as I know, only Miles and I survived, the rest are all-_"

Tonaar began coughing wildly, spitting out more blood with his breath. As Gordon got up, the soldier grabbed his cuirass and pulled him back down.

"_T-There was a-another survivor. A woman, a young cleric we found with the people you see slaughtered around us. These bandits only see her as a-a woman, but she is much more than that, I-I saw her robe, she is a Sister of N-Naga. A group of clerics dedicated to Naga's healing powers. Y-You must s-save her. As a paladin, you may suceed whe-where I f-failed. I-I can only h-hope that I have at least redeemed my honor. I-I panicked and ran when Augustus and D-Daniel fell. Do m-me a favor, gut those dastards when you see them, look out however, for their leader, a big man with an even bigger axe. H-His name is Walden. You'll know him,w-when you s-see him, cough, heh, before he killed Augustus, Augustus slashed him across the face. Gordon, tell my wife not to weep for me, I go now to my father and mother, and we shall watch over Aunen. I only regret I won't get to see what kind of man he will become-_"

Tonaar, the militia's oldest spearman, went limp in Gordon's arms, his now lifeless hand releasing the broken lance he'd used as a crutch to reach them. Gordon muttered the Rites of Death and lay his fallen comrade down to the ground. His face darkened as he turned to face Albert.

"Albert, I request to go into the forest and attempt to save the cleric." Albert walked forward and nodded.

"Where one goes, we _all_ go. Cal, you know how to track, lead the way. Gordon and George will follow close behind. Picket the horses, we won't be able to fight ahorse in that mess."

When he said this, both Gordon and George shook their heads. George explained when Albert looked curiously at them.

"You need some mounted soldiers in there, we can carry wounded comrades out and also the bandits will probably be scared to see horse-mounted cavalry charging toward them. By all means you guys can dismount, however, remember: I am one of the best horsemen in the village. A forest is no trouble for Blanchard, and I doubt Gordon will leave Thunder here as well. Knowing that horse, he would keel over in apoplexy if he stayed tied to a spot for too long."

Albert nodded knowingly and motioned everyone forward.

"We don't know how many are in there and what to expect. Prepare for any possible confrontation and be especially on the lookout for the cleric and Miles. We've already lost three friends today, let's not lose another."

His briefing delivered, the group took formation and moved cautiously into the woods.

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Miles Greton looked down at the state of his armor and the bloody end of his lance. No matter how many bandits he slew, they just kept coming. He counted seven bodies lying around him. Off in the distance, he could see where Augustus had been cut down and where Daniel had been filled full of arrows. A revigorating light coursed through his body, he half turned to the young cleric behind him.

"Lady Sue, I thank you, however, you should run. I don't know how many more bandits there are and if help is coming. You should escape and try to make your way to Vespa before they come again." The young lady shook her head, her long aubern hair shimmering around her neck.

"No sir knight, Naga entrusted me with a sacred duty to protect the protectors and to heal all who serve the light. To abandon you to this fate is to abandon Naga. I cannot do it." Miles laughed weakly.

"Then it looks like we may die both fulfilling our oaths to protect the weak."

At that moment, five more bandits came out of the woods, sighted them and started strutting towards them, confident of their victory. What happened next changed that; an arrow, quick as lightning, flew out of the trees on the far side and struck the closest bandit in the neck. He went down coughing a strangled cry of surprise. The bandits turned to see who now interrupted their sport. A loud horn also pierced the woods. Miles, recognizing the horn, smiled wanely.

"Naga smiles upon us...my comrades have arrived."

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"Good shot Cal! Rangers, forward! Take the field and keep an eye out for Miles and the cleric!"

The Caiber Rangers came into the clearing where they could see the bandits more clearly. Immediately sighting a paladin and a cavalier, one of the bandits blew a horn. Immediately, six more bandits came out of the woods led by a tall, obese, yet muscular man with a fresh gash over his left eye. In his hand, he held an iron axe large enough to cleave a man in half. The bandits were armed with a variety of weapons, most had axes, yet some had swords and bows. Bandits, Myrmidons, and Archers all. Albert saw a glimmer of something steel and saw Miles over on the far clearing, just behind him stood a woman. She was wearing torn white and silver robes and carried a 'Heal' staff.

"I see Miles and the cleric, over there. George, you and I will head over there and try to assist them, Gordon, I'm leaving you in command here while I head over there. The bandit's leader looks tough so don't try to take him alone, we'll surround him and cut him down as one. Move out!"

Immediately, two bandits tried to make a run for Miles, Cal was quicker, running full sprint towards them, he fired an arrow into the closest one, wounding him. Before the bandit could blink, Albert, also running full sprint, drew his sword and lopped the man's head off. George meanwhile ran down the second one and speared him with the lance.

A bandit jumped from the woods, trying to hit Miles, however, the bandits weapon was dull and just bounced off the knight's armor. Miles countered, impaling the brigand with his lance, which broke as he tried to withdraw it. Panicked, he turned to George.

"George, I need a lance, now!"

George rode over to him and handed him an extra iron lance he'd picked up in the wreckage of the wagon.

Gordon meanwhile rode forward and immediately ran his silver lance through the gaping mouth of an archer. Kate was right behind him with her Killing Edge, slashing a bandit in half with its razor sharp edge. Felix had meanwhile charged an archer and struck him once, wounding him and forcing him to retreat.

The bandits advanced quickly. The archer Felix had hit ran back and gulped down a vulnerary, healing the wound while another came at him. Another bandit came at Miles; this time however, the bandit's sword cut the brestplate of Miles' armor but also became stuck, allowing Miles knock the axe out of the bandit's hand with his battered shield and plunge the lance into him dealing a lethal blow.

A myrmidon bandit ran for Albert, thankfully, he had trained against Kate before and knew how a myrmidon attacks. He parried the first blow, however, the backswing cut his arm. Albert immediately feinted left the backslashed his own way, cutting a broad gash in the bandit's leg.

Gordon likewise found a bandit coming at him with an axe, his shield caught the blow and Thunder trampled the man down, Gordon finished him with the silver spear through the heart.

Now clear of bandits, Miles and Sue began moving toward Albert. Within a few moments, Albert reached them and spoke to Miles first.

"Miles! Man am I glad to see you. Tonaar told us you were still alive. I'm glad you were able to hold out until we arrived." Miles nodded thankfully.

"Indeed, I am also glad to see you, where is Tonaar anyway, I didn't see him get hit so he must have stayed behind, the coward. I told him he should have stuck to his cows."

"Tonaar is dead, a bandit apparently caught him in the back as he ran. His last words were to save you and the cleric." Miles immediately looked shocked.

"Damn, and here I am cursing him for a coward when he is in fact a hero. His sacrifice will _not_ be in vain. Come! Let us dispense justice and swift retribution upon the brigand's leader!"

As Albert nodded and turned away to assist Felix, Miles turned to the cleric.

"Milady, these soldiers are with me, you need not fear them." Sue smiled and nodded.

"I know. One of Naga's gifts to her disciples is the ability to see the good in a person. I knew they would help us as soon as I saw them. Their leader has a bright aura about him. It is as if I am gazing at the Grand Cleric herself. I have a feeling he is meant to do some great good. Now then, I must see to the wounded. For Naga!"

Sue walked over and saw Albert bleeding from the arm after helping Felix push back one of the axe wielding thugs.

"Oh my, sir, you are wounded!" Albert gazed at the cut, apparently just noticing it, and laughed.

"This? Hah! I've cut myself worse while shaving. Still, many such wounds would kill I suppose." Sue laughed.

"Indeed, many such brave and valorous heroes died not from one giant wound but from several small wounds. Here, let Naga's power heal you."

The heal staff flashed and the gash was gone, even the blood that had soaked his sleeve was gone.

"There, now then, I am Sue, a cleric and a member of the Sisterhood of Naga. I was asked to start a temple of Naga in the town of Vespa; however, these bandits attacked us and slaughtered the soldiers hired to protect me. Once we are done here, I would like to continue on my mission. That is, if you soldiers would protect me."

"Milady, the Vespa Militia is here to serve."

Gordon harrumphed loudly.

"Albert, we must take care of these bandits before we go talking."

As he said this, he charged forward and ran a bandit down in much the same fashion as before. Kate ran and attacked the archer who had survived Felix's attack. As she cut him down, she turned to Felix.

"Damn it Felix, if you don't start putting more effort into your swings, you'll never fight properly. One of these days, someone you merely wound is going to come back at you again and this time it'll bite you in the rear!" Felix snorted imperiously.

"Well, not everyone has the advantage of a Killing Edge. I try my best, besides, you shouldn't be angry, it makes that beautiful face of yours look like a cow's hind end-"

Kate promptly slapped him _hard _and walked off. A large hand-shaped red mark was visible on his left cheek and would remain there for several hours. Felix was stunned.

"What'd I say?!" Kate merely huffed and then engaged yet another enemy.

George charged forward and hit anther bandit, this time he threw a javalin and struck the bandit full in the gut.

Albert looked at the field, only the leader was left. He drew his sword and advanced toward him, as did Cal, Gordon, and George. The bandit leader was worried, he'd seen several fights like this yet he'd always come out on top.

"This ain't possible! My strongest men! _RRRAAAAAAAGGGHHH_! Ye'll be payin for their blood ye will!" Albert snarled.

"You first, you will be pay for the lives of all the innocents you have slaughtered; including our comrades. Prepare to die."

Albert drew his sword and charged, striking the bandit leader who tried to counter, but struck nothing but air. Cal drew his bow and shot, the bandit blocked the arrow with his axe and tossed a throwing axe at him, however, the spin was off, the handle of the axe struck Cal in the face, stunning him.

The bandit swung a wild swing at Albert. It connected and gashed his iron curaiss good. The bandit started laughing, unaware that the others were drawing closer. However, Albert picked up his sword and in a flash, ran the bandit through. Surprise evident on his face.

"_H-How the hell'd-_" He didn't get to finish as he died on Albert's sword point.

Albert withdrew the blade and then sheathed his weapon and sighed. After a moment, he turned to the group.

"Everyone all right? No one seriously hurt?"

He was relieved when they all answered in the negative. Well, except for Felix who was still reeling from Kate's slap. Albert turned back to Cal.

"Cal, I think you should ride with George, that hit to the head looked pretty bad. Lady Sue can ride your horse and Miles can ride with Gordon since Thunder is the strongest horse we have."

They all nodded at the dicision and stared back to the road where they left their horses. After some work to one of the wagons they were able to fix a small cart to carry home Augustus, Tonaar, and Daniel.

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That night, the group stopped for the night to make camp. Albert was in charge of getting some firewood and left camp. As he picked up some small pieces for kindling, a heavy blow from behind knocked him off his feet and sent his steel sword flying. He turned just in time to see a large bandit wielding a large axe.

"Yer gonna pay fer guttin' me brudder ye dastard! I'll spill yer guts fer the buzzards I will!"

Thinking quickly, Albert drew the short iron sword on his left and prepared for battle.

The bandit still had the advantage and attacked striking him cleanly. His already damaged curaiss couldn't absorb the blow and caved in. The edge of the axe cut a long gash across Albert's chest and he felt a rib break from the force behind it. He riposted with the short sword, cutting the bandits arm and then kicked him.

By this time, the sound of combat had gotten the attention of the rest of the group and they began shouting for him and coming towards the noise. Panicked, the bandit swung again, intent on finishing Albert off. However, something large and grey leapt from the forest and caught the bandits arm in its mouth. With a quick shake, the creature broke the bandits arm and then sunk its fangs into his throat. The clouds parted and Albert saw what the creature was: a _massive_ timber wolf, in fact, it was the largest wolf he had ever seen.

The wolf's form began to blur and it began to stand. Albert could hardly believe his eyes; he was staring at a shifter from the wolf tribe!

The wolf, now a beautiful woman, turned to Albert.

"You should be careful in these woods Vespan. They are not as safe as they once were. Already I feel a darkness coming that threatens to consume the land. Before you say anything, know that I saved you only because I saw your fight against the bandits and how you helped that servant of Naga. We of the wolf tribe know of Naga and know she is good. Furthermore, I have seen you before Albert Stahl. You are a man of great compassion and stength. I look forward to watching you grow even more. Farewell!"

Before Albert could speak, she changed form again and bounded into the woods. Right at that time, Felix barged in, axe ready.

"Alright what's going...on?...How the hell'd you take down _this_ brute, Al?" Albert laughed loudly.

"You know? I'm not sure I believe it myself."

Albert walked out of the woods leaving a very confused (and still sore) Felix in the woods.

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**OC's In This Chapter****:**

**Miles Greton**: Lance Knight: Level: 7. Lance Skill: 'C'. Equipment: Steel Lance (broke), Iron Lance, Vulnerary.

_The leader of Vespa Militia Squad 9. A knight of action rather than words. Some people consider his honor to be beyond reproach, yet, he has been known to be quite a womanizer. Still, ever call him out, you'll see __**why**__ he's one of the best lances in the militia. Despite this however, he cannot abide shirkers and laziness. He is known to reveal a hair trigger temper when he discovers someone shirking their duties, especially in the militia._

**Sue Amone**: Cleric: Level: 5. Staff Skill: 'E'. Equipment: Heal Staff, Vulnerary.

_A young and inexperienced Sister of Naga. A religious order that promotes the use of Naga's healing energy to heal the sick and the wounded. Often known to take risks to treat an injured ally._

**Unknown Wolf Shifter**: Wolf Tribe: Level: Unknown. Skill: Unknown.

**Classes In This Chapter****:**

**Knight**: Men in heavy suits of armor. They have the greatest defence capabilities of any human Fire Emblem class. Extremely high defence, low mobility and speed and no magical resistance. Can use swords (subclass: **Sword Knight**), lances(subclass: **Lance Knight**), or axes(subclass: **Axe Knight**). Tier 1 class.

**Cleric**: Women who devote their lives to the pursuit of divine learning and healing. High magic and magical resistance, no attack power and little defence. (They can still counter by bashing someone with the staff but it rearely does anything). Uses staves. Tier 1 class.

**Soldier**: The backbone of _any_ military or militia force. Average skills across the board. Uses lances. Tier 1 class.

**Bandit**: Thugs who live a life of crime and kill any who oppose them. High attack but low defence. Uses axes. Enemy class.

**Wolf Tribe**: A group of humanoid shapeshifters often called 'Beastmen', 'Werewolves', though are often times called 'laguz'. Extremely powerful and agile though not much else is known.

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Well, here's the second prologue, see? I always keep my promises. I'll try to update again as soon as possible. As always, reviews and PMs are welcome!


	3. Shadows Rise

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE FIRE EMBLEM SERIES. ONLY MY OWN OCS.

Prologue III: Shadows Rise

Location: Village of Vespa, Kingdom of Caiber

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Lightning arced across the sky and thunder echoed through the darkening skies, heralding the oncoming storm. Three days gone, three days to return. Albert and his squad were completely exhausted. Gordon had riden ahead to inform the commander of what had transpired in the forest. As is such with a small village, news traveled faster than the rider that had bore it. When Albert and his group reached the gates, they were immediately confronted by Augustus' sister and mother, Daniel's parents and little brothers, and Tonaar's widow and son.

Jennifer 'Jenn' Maxina was now the only spellcaster in the entire village with Daniel's death. She was a study of fire magic and was a very serious parent. Her entire life revolved around her studies and her family. Aunen, Tonaar and Jenn's only son, though young, had taken an interest is horse riding and jousting. When he turned fifteen he had been accepted into the militia as a cavalier but placed in a non combat role. The looks on their faces when they both saw Tonaar broke Albert's heart, yet, he could not bear to look into their eyes or the eyes of the others. Miles was the same way, these had been _his_ men, soldiers that he, as a knight, should have lead properly and should have protected. Now they were dead, the only good was that it was the winter months and the cold had staved off decomposition on the way back.

Commander Vesper also awaited them, beside him stood several members of the militia, including Thaddeus Brock and his squad, apparently not as sick as they had led everyone to believe. When Miles saw the 'sick' men standing there, he went into a full red-faced rage.

"_YOU...YOU...DASTARDS WERE __**FAKING**__?! I LOSE MY ENTIRE SQUAD BECAUSE YOU THREE WANTED A DAY OFF?!"_

Miles drew his lance, ready to knock some sense into the laggards, however, the commander stopped him.

"These men have already been found out and punished. However, their actions have contributed to the deaths of three veteran militiamen. After the funeral, I will convene with the mayor and request a trial be readied." He turned to the three men.

"You three are hereby dismissed from service. Brock will escort you three to the jail to await trial."

Miles relaxed his grip on the lance and walked towards Agatha's inn, hoping to drown his memories in the inn's variety of liquors and beers. Nor was he the only one. Felix, Cal and George followed him. Albert had a feeling that soon there would be four red faced baffoons running around town drunk as skunks. Kate went back to the inn as well, more likely to rest than to drink.

Albert was of a like mind until he saw Aunen coming toward him. He immediately worried as to what he was going to ask. Aunen looked at him, his face already red from crying.

"Al, h-how did dad die?"

Albert steadied himself and recalled the events to the boy. He looked and saw Jenn nearby and nodded to her. Aunen was apparently satisfied that his father had died a hero, yet, Albert could tell he wished for his father back rather than a dead hero. After seeing more mourners and the town square filled with wails and sobs, he reconsidered going to the inn with the guys.

(_Maybe that drink isn't such a bad idea..._) he thought.

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Once inside the inn, he found Miles and the others already deep in their cups. Miles was remembering some of the times he'd had with the others. Albert grabbed a cup of the inn's mulled hard cider and sat down with them, as he took the first sip of the warm liquid, he felt his limbs beginning to come alive again. He turned an ear to what Miles was telling.

"...and then Augustus turns to Dan and just says '_Well that's one way to stop a wagon_' and poor old Tonaar was still hanging onto the wagon praying his greaves didn't come loose and leave him dragging his bare feet, poor dastard nearly pulled his arms off tryin' to stop that wagon. You should've seen the look on Jenn's face when we brought him home. She was wondering how the hell three veteran, muscle bound militiamen couldn't stop a runaway wagon being pulled by one half grown horse, HA!" Felix laughed and then tapped Miles on the shoulder.

Albert remembered that incident, it had given rise to the village joke about 'how many drunkards does it take to stop a wagon?' The answer: three: one to drag his feet behind it and two to laugh their arses off watching him try.

"That's nothing. I got one better. Remember when we all were asked to patrol the river bottom and Daniel gets the idea to cast a lightning spell on the water to scare up some fish. Well, Augustus had the same idea except he was wading into the river to spear a fish. Heh, Daniel let loose that spell and Augustus' hair started sticking out on end and the fish he had speared started cooking right there on the spear point. As soon as he got his hair straightened out, Augustus started chasing Dan all over the river bank all the while Dan was screaming bloody murder."

It was then that everyone noticed Albert sitting by them listening. Felix piped up, though his speech was somewhat slurred.

"Hey, Al. Waz the fondesht memry _you_ have of the guysh?"

Albert thought for a minute, remembering the few times he had gone on patrol with the veterans.

"I would have to say the fondest memory out of all of them, was when Tonaar was hunting, he saw a deer in the woodline and threw a javelin at it. Turns out it was Old Sadren the huntsman who was wearing a deer skin suit trying to sneak up on a nearby herd. That lance tip stuck in his rear and he jumped up and then the deer all took off. Old Sadren was walking funny for a week after that, and whenever he would see Tonaar he'd say '_just wait till I can walk straight again and I'll kick your ass from here to Vaile and back again_'. Tonaar made it a point after that when he saw Sadren to take off running as fast as he could in the opposite direction." Felix beamed and started laughing.

"I remember zhat. Although it'sh not ash funny ash when Daniel was firsht learning magick he ackshidentally shet fathersh pants on fire. He went shcreaming through the village and jumped down the well."

Albert remembered that but then turned to his friend.

"Uh, Felix, that was _you_ who ran through the village with his pants on fire. I remember because _I_ had to fish you out of the well and you got slapped for 'mooning' Kate."

"Oh. I forgots." Felix said sheepishly, he raised up a hand to order another drink, then fell backwards off the chair. The others meanwhile laughed loudly, both at Felix's achohol muddled memory and the things that they all had done as both militiamen and friends.

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(the next day)

The town hall bell began ringing a slow solumn tone as the mourners and militia began lining up to say their farewells to their fallen comrades. As each person went by the deceased and their families, they laid a rose on the lids of the coffins and formed a line. When they were ready, the procession began to march to the cemetary outside of the village, the echo of the bell continuing well outside. Tonaar was the only one who had his casket open revealing his face. Daniel and Augustus were so badly mauled they couldn't be displayed for their families.

By the time they reached the graveyard, the rain had begun to fall. It was steady at first but quickly grew into a torrential downpour.

The rest of the funeral was rather simple. The strongest of the militiamen lowered each coffin into the ground and Sue, being a cleric of Naga, gave each of them the last rites. Soon the people began filing back into town to get out of the rain. Lacking a place close enough, most of them went into the inn and began reminising about their fallen comrades.

Albert, having already had a few and remembered what few memories he had of the three militiamen, went upstairs to sleep, though he made a point to conceal a large blunt object nearby in case of one of Felixs pranks in the morning, although, with the amount of liquor he had consumed, he would be in no shape to be up early in the morning. Albert said his farewells and goodnights to the villagers and was soon asleep in his room.

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(that night)

The alarm bell woke Albert up from his rest. He looked out his window to see part of the forest was on fire. Strangely though, Vesper was organizing the militia as if he expected a fight.

(_Oh Gods,_) Albert thought, (_We're under attack from bandits._)

Albert strapped on his cuirass and swords, ran out of his room, down the hall, and all but kicked in Felix's door.

"Felix, get up! The village is under attack!"

Despite him being extraodinarily hung over, when Albert had said 'attack', Felix sprang from his bed, still dressed and armored, fell over face first, recovered, grabbed his axe and charged down the hall banging on everyones door and shouting alarm.

Within moments, Cal, Gordon, George, and Kate were up and armed. George and Gordon went for their horses first. When Albert got outside, he saw the entirety of the militia, even the recruits and rookies. Among them he saw Marie, along with her sister Anne, Scott, even Jenn and Aunen who was sitting atop his horse Midnight. Even John the smith had a suit of armor on and was holding a _massive_ warhammer.

Albert spotted Vesper and ran over to him.

"Commander, what's going on?!" Vesper turned a pained look to him.

"I wish I knew lad, a few moments ago the guards at the grave yard came running into town screaming about bloody murder, rising corpses, and soldiers in pitch black armor. They're probably drunk is all yet still, the woods are on fire, that means bandits possibly so we're ready in any case."

A scout came running in. Vesper immediately stepped in front of him.

"Scout! Report!" The man looked frightened out of his mind. All the color was gone from his face and his eyes were wide as saucers. He could barely keep the tremble out of his voice.

"Sir, th-they were telling th-the truth! Those aren't bandits after us, it's demons after our souls!"

One of the nearby soldiers overheard him and began to whisper prayers to every god he knew, several others did the same although what was most common was prayers to Naga, the light dragon who shielded the people from all evil. Sue was going from rank to rank uttering prayers and blessings to each and every soldier who asked her for one.

A dark fog began rolling into the town. Vesper immediately drew his massive sword '_Volknjier_' and stood his ground. He turned to Aunen, Jenn, Marie, Anne, Sue, and Scott.

"You six stay back with Albert's squad and away from the fight. I don't want anyone else dying today! Albert, your orders are to protect them at any cost, if you have to flee the village so be it! Do you understand, if we fall, take the civilians and run, as fast as you can for Vaile and tell them of what has happened!"

Albert wanted to fight, yet he knew that none could possibly challenge the commander, he nodded and assumed a defensive position around the recruits.

As they readied, a group of figures appeared in the mist. They were walking almost shambling towards the militia, yet except for their figures, they were concealed. Vesper nodded to the archers.

"Ready, aim...FIRE!"

The archers fired their volleys into the mass coming towards them. A few of the figures fell yet some continued even though the archers could see arrows protruding from them. They came out of the fog at last and nearly every untrained militiaman hurled, as for the drunkards, if they were drunk before the battle they weren't now. Sue gasped when she saw the enemy coming towards them.

The enemy was just as described, walking corpses in various states of decay, even the three veterans they had laid to rest that evening were shambling towards them, their burial armor and weapons still shining brand new. Albert turned to Sue.

"What are those things?"

"They are undead we of Naga call 'the Fallen': evil warriors, soldiers and knights from battles long past. Though their souls are gone from this plane, their bodies still harbor that hatred of those who slew them. Since the Fallen cannot comprehend time, they see all living beings as the ones who slew them in life. The reason the heroes are risen as well is because undead tend to create more undead. The Fallen will bite corpses on the battlefield. I do not know how, but the magic and malice that animated them is passed to the corpse in this bite and it awakes as a Fallen One too. No doubt they see us as the bandits that slew them."

Albert stared dumbly at the corpses of both bandits and fallen friends and saw some corpses in armor he'd never seen before. Behind him, he heard Aunen crying as he saw his father's body approaching. Aunen gasped when the archers fired another volley of arrows into the enemy. This time more went down, including Augustus and Daniel, yet despite an arrow through his heart and three in his leg, Tonaar shambled on. Vesper cursed, lifted his sword and struck his fallen friend lengthways, decapitating him. Tonaar's body thrashed for a while then fell and was still.

A soldier looked around cautiously.

"Is that all of them?"

As if answering him, a javelin came out of the darkness and struck him straight in the chest. A warcry came bellowing out of the forest. Vesper cursed and regrouped the militia.

"Ready weapons!"

At that moment, a force of Fallen plus soldiers in black armor poured out of the forest. Albert turned to find the route to retreat along should they have too only to find enemies blocking it! He turned to his squad.

"Prepare to battle! Jenn, you and the recruits stay behind us!" Jenn however, pulled a '_Fire_' tome from her robes and hurtled a spell at the closest Fallen.

"I was never one to stay put like some fragile treasure, I _was_ married to Tonaar, remember? I cannot speak for my son or the others, but I _can_ and I_ will _to protect my home and my child." Aunen spoke next.

"Al..er, Albert, sir, I m..may not have much experience, b..but I s..still want to fight. T..These things hurt Father. I don't want them to hurt anyone else!"

Albert turned to Marie, Anne, and Scott.

"You three feel the same way?"

All three nodded, Marie punctuated her affermation by shooting an arrow into one of the Fallen, pinning it to the outhouse by the stables.

"Alright everyone, we cut through them, CHARGE!"

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Albert looked around the battlefield, he saw he had support from Brock's squad nearby, even though his squad mainly comprised of rookies now. What concerned him now was there were three civilians including John in the middle of the enemy's charge.

"Aunen, George, Gordon, get those civilians out of the way before they are killed, if you can, carry them to safety! Lady Sue, if anyone is injured I need you to heal them immediately."

Sue giggled.

"You don't have to address me as 'Lady Sue' Albert, I'm a part of your squad now, besides, my duty _is_ to heal the injured. I was going to do that with or without your approval."

Albert nodded and rushed forward with Felix to shield Jenn.

George went for John and pulled him up, as tough as the smith was he knew he was outmatched by these monsters. Gordon found Agatha, the inn owner staring in horror at the shambling bodies of her parents, her long-dead husband, and her sons coming towards her. Gordon picked her up and retreated back toward Albert's line. Aunen picked up a woman he recognized as Commander Vesper's daughter Jina. As soon as she was in the saddle with him, Midnight took off back to Albert.

Felix cross slashed one of the Fallen cutting it in half. He whistled as he saw how many more there were of them. However, they were almost all different; some with weapons and armor, some with nothing but burial clothes. A solitary soldier clad in black armor stood to the rear: the enemy commander, by the looks of him, he was a low ranking soldier. Jenn cast another Fire spell at a nearby Fallen attempting to rush Aunen. The Fire spell set fire to the corpses dry old burial clothes and reduced it to ashes. Albert noticed this.

"Your fire spells are doing the job, keep hurling them whenever you can!"

Jenn nodded and began concentration on the next spell.

Kate used her Killing Edge to deal a critical blow to one Fallen, managing to slash it from skull to groin. A moment Cal was there to deal another at one advancing on Kate.

Albert noticed Brock's squad was now on the move. With the threat to civilians over, his squad charged in and despite their inexperience, they slew three of the enemy.

With the civilians on their horses with them, the mounted knights couldn't fight well, except for Aunen, he was light enough that, even carrying Jina, his horse wasn't burdened. He held an iron short sword and rode for a foe that one of Brocks recruits had wounded but not killed. With a quick downward slash, Aunen made his first combat kill.

Albert was glad to see the enemy's numbers thinning out quickly. The enemy underestimated the might of the Vespa Militia. At least that was his thought until he turned to see how the Commander and the main body of the militia were doing. What he saw horrified him: Commander Vesper was the only man left standing! The others were all dead or fleeing. Vesper was the only thing keeping the enemy behind them from attacking. Refusing to give into panic, Albert turned to his squad and yelled also to Brock's squad.

"All forces advance, prepare to abandon Vespa, the garrison has fallen! The garrison has fallen! Rescue as many civilians and horses you can, everything else, burn! NOW!"

Both Albert's and Brock's squad thought he was mad until they too saw the field behind them. Even the mighty Vanguard commander, Vesper Stanton, was being forced back. Brock's squad, all being cavaliers rescued six people including Kate's father the mayor and Felix's oldest brother, the village horse trainer. Together as one force they began advancing. Thankfully no other enemies appeared, however, they still had seven enemies, including their commander to fight through.

Felix charged down the center dealing a deadly blow to an axe wielding Fallen, Felix was right behind him to strike down another. George and Gordon both took down one leaving three. Cal and Kate both attacked the same one, it fell quickly. Aunen, Anne, and Marie attacked the last Fallen, wounding it. Jenn finished it off. Only the commander was left.

Suddenly, the air around the village became thick with mist and fog, it also began to chill. Ice began to form on the windowsills and roofs. Albert looked back to see the Commander facing a creature the likes of which he'd never seen. It was wearing a black robe and also had black armor. It's helm completely covered it's face and it's breath frosted as it spoke yet he couldn't make out the words. Sue saw the monstrocity and nearly fainted.

"I..It's a Dread Knight. One of the strongest types of Fallen. Only those who were truly evil in life become Dread Knights. They are also known as Wraiths or Revenants."

Albert figured this was the time to retreat. He called back to the Commander, yet it was as if he didn't hear him. Vesper only took a glance before he was obscured by fog and shadow.

"Damn it! We've got to get out of here, now!"

A whistling noise pierced the darkness, Albert stood in shock as he saw the enemy commander lurch forward, fall, and lay still, a thowing spear stuck in his back. A young man dressed in bright blue and wearing plate armor rode up.

"Are you the militia commander?" Albert shook his head. The man saluted.

"Still, you look to be the highest ranked one here. I'm Francois, a Paladin in the service of the King of Caiber. I was doing my patrol when I saw the smoke and the fog. Took me a while to get through to you. What's the situation?"

"The village of Vespa has fallen, we are the only survivors!" Francois cursed then nodded.

"Right, follow me, I can get you to the nearby city of Tomas. This way, hurry!"

The survivors of Vespa turned one last time to see their beloved town, except, the entire town was engulfed in the fog from the enemy and the smoke from the fires they'd set. Albert shed a single tear, turned Queen and proceeded to catch up to his comrades. He swore that he would see his hometown again, and punish the dastard responsible for this.

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Okay guys! That's the Prologue of the story, the next chapter will be chapter 1. I hope you all enjoy reading the story as much as I love writing it!

**OC'S In This Chapter**:

**Marie: **Archer: Level 3. Bow Skill: 'E'

_The more vain of the two sisters, she prefers to stay out of other people's ways so that she doesn't touch them. Is kind hearted toward her sister but few others._

**Anne:** Recruit: Level 3. Lance Skill: 'E'

_She joined the militia later than her sister did and as such she has a lot to learn. The difference between her sisters and her personality is like night and day. Where Marie can't stand having people too close to her, Anne thrives on being close to her comrades and the people she cares about._

**Scott:** Recruit: Level 3. Lance Skill: 'D'

_A young recruit with a lot to prove and a personality to match. He's always practicing and honing his skills yet for some reason whenever he feels people staring at him, he goofs._

**Aunen:** Cavalier: Level 1. Sword Skill: 'E'

_The only son of Tonaar and Jenn. He is a brave sort and strongly believed in his father's ideals of honor and chivalry. Hopes to some day be as strong as his father, if not surpass him._

**Jenn:** Mage: Level 7. Tome Skill: Fire: 'C' Ice: 'E' Wind: 'E' Lightning: 'D'

_ The daughter of a traveling mage who died after moving to Vespa, she spent all her time pouring through her fathers old books and discovered she had a knack for Fire magic. As she grew older, she offered to teach some of the more magically inclined a few spells to help keep their village safe. Her apprentice, Daniel, was the most adept of all the possible mages in the village._

**Francois: **Paladin: Level 1. Weapon Skill: Lance: 'C' Bow: 'E'

_ A young man who believes and follows the Paladin's code to the letter. Often rides around to small settlements to visit with people and always helps those in need. Despises dark magic and undead with a passion. Particularly skilled with throwing lances and javelins. Cannot hit the broad side of a barn with an arrow yet he keeps trying._

**Classes Listed In Chapter:**

**Recruit:** Young soldiers trained in the way of the lance. Though not incredibly strong they are not pushovers either and have the potential to be even greater. Low stats but quick learning. Uses Lances. Tier 0 class.

**Mage:** Adepts at using spellbooks called tomes. Their attacks do not weaken based on how strong their armor is. Instead, the higher the enemies resistance, the less damage they do. Low defence, high resistance. Mages can wield a variety of spellbooks, yet can be classed on their dominant element: Fire Magic: (subclass: **Fire Mage**), Ice Magic: (subclass: **Ice Mage**), Wind Magic: (subclass: **Wind Mage**), Lightning/Thunder Magic: (subclass: **Thunder Mage**). Tier 1 class.

**The Fallen: **The main forces of the enemy. Whenever a person dies cursing the foe that killed them, the seed of darkness is planted. A skilled necromancer can make that seed grow and animate the body. The Fallen use whatever is in their hands as weapons meaning, claws, axes, swords, lances, etc. The most basic form is the zombie which is a villagers corpse which was reanimated. They spread the darkness through biting their victims, turning them. There are more powerful Fallen out there, but none more numerous. Enemy Tier 1 class.

**Dread Knight**: Whenever the body of a truly evil person dies and their soul is not accepted beyond the plane, they must either wander as wisps or return to their bodies and become Revenants. Dread Knights are Revenants of soldiers and knights that died either gruesome deaths or their lust for vengeance was stronger than the pull of the grave. Most use swords or lances. Enemy Tier 3 class.

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Okay everyone, I hope you all like this. Next update will be the beginning of the true story so stay tuned. As always, reviews, PMs, favs and follows are welcomed.


	4. No Rest For The Weary

Okay everyone, I hope you all liked the prologue. The first numbered chapter is here!

In case you all are curious I decided to deep-six the firearms idea and go back to a true Fire Emblem concept. I thought of the firearm though when I played Radiant Dawn and saw one of the last archery type weapons was called the 'Bowgun' and thinking is it a crossbow or a firearm?

Ah but enough about that, onto the story!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE FIRE EMBLEM SERIES, ONLY MY OWN OCS.

Chapter 1: No Rest for the Weary

Location: Village of Tomas, Caiber Forest Outskirts, Kingdom of Caiber

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The rain continued to pour down on Albert as he walked from the stables in Tomas to the inn where the village mayor had set up housing for them. For several people it was strange to be treated as refugees from their own village. Brock and his squad had been riding patrols for the Tomas militia while a few of their fastest riders went to Castle Vaile to inform the King of what had happened and request assistance. The Paladin who had rescued them, Francois, spent his time helping the militia patrol around thre village. Albert didn't think anything of it after all, that was one way of either forgetting or coming to terms with what had happened.

He gazed up at the sky, the sea of grey clouds seemed almost endless. It had been raining for four days now. After the group had arrived the mayor had put the town militia on full alert and requested any assistance the Vespa Militia remnants could provide. The mayor had also dispatched a company of the villiage militia to see if their story was true. When they had returned, they not only confirmed the story, a few loose lips in the company nearly sent the whole village in a panic.

The company had returned to report that the entire village was burned to the ground. On top of that, the village graveyard had been ransacked and all the graves, tombs, and crypts had been opened and the bodies removed somewhere. Upon Albert asking about bodies in the town, the company commander shook his head.

"_We found the village completely deserted," _he had said,_ "of course there was a lot of blood indicating a small to medium scale battle, yet there were no corpses. It was as if they had gotten up and walked away from the battle __**after**__ being killed_."

When Albert asked about Commander Vesper, the commander motioned to one of his subordinates who pulled a small bundle from his horse and handed it to Albert. When he unwrapped the bundle, he found the Commander's greatsword, broken in half, and his second sword badly nicked as if blocking a massive axe of some sort. Vesper's daughter, Jina was nearby and took the bundle.

She had barely gotten any sleep in the past few days, although, her skills with the bow helped many of those who couldn't hunt or pay for food at the inn. Sue was exhausted tending to the injuries sustained by some of the people during the escape yet thankfully there were no injuries that couldn't be fixed with a heal staff, though she had already burned through two new staves as well as her original one.

Gordon, George, and Aunen were working alongside Miguel and Tomkins from the Tomas militia. As horse riders they were able to quickly patrol the area around the town and make sure nothing happened that was out of place. Miles, despite also suffering from fatigue, was busy in the militia training field instructing the recruits from Vespa. Cal was busy and furiously pumping a straw dummy full of arrows (whenever he wasn't drinking the unaged whiskey the innkeeper had opened to keep him from the more lucrative liquors).

Agatha, the Vespa innkeeper, found herself at odds with the Tomas innkeeper (some distant cousin or nephew twice removed of hers) over the exorbident prices of his drinks, food and lodgings. It got to where the innkeeper's son all but bullied the old woman whenever she came into the tavern. John got along well with the Tomas blacksmith, who, Albert was amazed to know, was actually John's youngest son Phillip. However, unlike his father, who made and sold regular weapons, Phillip specialized in what he called 'made-to-order' weapons: he would use various types and strengths of metal, forge weapons to various lengths, widths, blade sharpness, he could even add special dyes into the forge to discolor or 'paint' the weapon. Nothing was too outlandish for him, he could even make a crossguard, handle, pommel, even a handguard on request. Most militiamen in Tomas had at least one of Phillip's weapons, sadly and much to Phillips chagrin, they preferred to use them as showpieces than actual weapons.

The most outlandish weapon was held by the Tomas militia commander Maximillian. The day the scouts had brought Vesper's greatsword in, he had Phillip fashion a bastard sword mimicking it, the only difference was it was slightly shorter and narrower, a broader gold crossguard and a long gold cord wrapped grip, a gold filigreed handguard, an ebony wood sheath, and a gaudy red-tinted blade. He only drew it to make a point with someone or to flourish it quickly. Every time he walked around town on 'patrol' strutting about like a 'cock-of-the-walk' as John was fond of saying, it made Phillip (and several others) see red. The weapon was so narrow it was akin to a rapier wielded by the noble lords, yet when the Vespa militia survivors saw it they couldn't help but notice the similarity with their beloved commander's sword.

Bored with just walking in the rain today, Albert found himself walking into Phillip's shop. As he took off the rain cloak, John saw him and smiled.

"Albert! Good to see you lad! Phillip, get in here and say 'ello, it's cause of this man and his squad that I'm here and alive today!"

Phillip came up with a broad smile that rivaled his fathers.

"Good morning Sergeant, or is it evening? I swear if this rain keeps up I'm in danger of forgetting what the sun looks like. I just barely got my forge lit this morning as water leaked in through the chimney. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

Albert sadly held up his broken sword, a sad effect of it being the nearest thing to Kate when Felix ticked her off yesterday. She'd tossed the blade at him, missed, sent it through the inn window and flinched at the '_clang_' as it hit the cobblestone road and again at the '_snap_' of steel as a goods-laiden wagon ran over it. John groaned and slapped his forehead. Ignoring his father, Phillip took the sword and examined it. He made a 'tut tut' sound and showed the blade to his father.

"Does this look like proper steel to you, father?" John immediately got red-faced.

"_Proper steel?! W-Why you young whelp, I __**always **__make blades of good quality steel, what else would it be-"_ He paused and took a look at the blade's cross section and gasped.

"By Naga's Light! T-This is _rotten_ steel! How could I have missed that?!" Albert looked at John curiously.

"How can a metal be rotten?" John looked at him and nodded.

"Yer're not a metal worker so you wouldn't know, but steel doesn't exist naturally, it requires iron and charcoal. Rotten steel occures when iron is mined and is badly processed, meaning the ore still has traces of other metals, rocks, and coal in it. When it is made into an ingot you can't tell the difference other than a small discoloration on the edges. When forged with the charcoal, it doesn't bind properly, allowing small fissures and airpockets to appear in the core of the blade. I'm amazed it lasted this long for you and glad it did not break when you needed it most. The air pockets and fissures make the blade brittle, you'll be needing a proper sword this time, sadly, I left my best pieces back at the shop in Vespa."

Phillip immediately siezed the opportunity.

"Say Albert, you planning on fighting these 'Fallen' or whatever the hell they are, right?" He nodded sharply. Phillip snapped his fingers.

"I think I have just the thing, let's see." He went to his desk and pulled out a measuring cord.

"First off: You are a sword wielder so you'll need a blade, next: What type of metal? I'm afraid all I have is Bronze, Iron, and Steel." Albert nodded to the steel.

"Next: what type of blade? Regular type, long, short, narrow, wide?" Albert thought for a moment on this.

"I would prefer the blade a little longer and a little thinner." Phillip nodded.

"Ah, so you prefer speed over strength, alright, now then, what kind of crossguard, pommel, and if any what kind of handguard?" Albert shrugged.

"I don't want it to be flashy, just a regular crossguard, a heavy pommel, and no handguard, it interferes with my handling." The smith nodded again.

"Finally, do you want a dye added to the blade? If you do, I would suggest a light blue. Also what kind of scabbard would you like: leather or wood?"

Albert thought for a moment then nodded.

"Go ahead and dye the blade, as for the scabbard, do you have any laquered wood? I don't want any chance that water could get in and rust the blade." Phillip nodded and turned to the forge, whistling the same tune John did when he was happy. Mid-verse he stopped and turned.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I can inscribe the blade for you. Do you have a name for it? I don't have any objections so long as it's not outlandish like '_Dragonpoker_', or Naga forbid, '_Chickenbane_'." Albert chuckled at the names and thought for a moment, what to name his sword.

"How about '_Defender_'?" Phillip mused for a moment.

"A sword with a shield's name? How interesting, still, it's better than the militia commander's blade, can you belive he actually called one of my finest swords '_The Negotiator_'? I had half a mind to break the sword over the arrogant fop's head!" John laughed.

"It's a good thing you didn't son, otherwise you'd have lost your finest blade for nothing, my father had a name for people like him, _stahlhelm_, which roughly translates as 'steel head'." Phillip laughed and turned to go into the forge. At that moment, Jina came in.

"Excuse me, is Phillip in?" Phillip came at the mention of his name and nodded to Jina. He had a look on his face that Albert couldn't place. Concern? Exhaustion?

"I'm here miss. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Jina held up the broken pieces of her father's blade.

"I want you to repair my father's blade and modify it so that I can wield it." Albert looked to her dumbstruck.

"Jina, when did you learn how to fight with the sword?" She turned to face him.

"Father taught me everything I needed to know about sword fighting. I can wield a sword and a bow as good as anybody here."

Albert knew from experience that Jina was just as hard headed as her father at some things and knew that even if he did say something, she was likely going to do it anyway. However, Phillip shook his head and saved him.

"I'm sorry Miss Jina, but this sword is beyond my skill. It is only recently that I started working with steel and this is _silver_. If you want it repaired you'd have to go all the way to Vaile to one of the master smiths there. Even then you'd have to find one who knows a thing or three about the type and style of sword you need as well as a _lot_ of gold. I can give you a special slender sword or perhaps a short sword I've forged but as for this, I cannot do anything. I'm sorry."

Jina sighed, turned on her heel and left the smithy in a huff. Phillip meanwhile scratched his head.

"I wonder if she's in shock over the attack." Albert turned and looked at him curiously.

"Why do you say that?"

"Cause that's the fifth time in the past two days she's been in here asking me to repair the sword. She's done everything but beg me to repair it. The fact is as I said, I do not have the experience to work with silver weapons." Albert looked curiously at John.

"Why make weapons out of silver, isn't it extremely valuable or something?" John nodded.

"It is valuable in both a currency and a weapon sense. You see, silver is called a 'pure metal' in various forms it deals with a variety of problems: In its regular state, silver is deadly to lycanthropes such as werewolves and others. When quenched in holy water, it becomes a powerful weapon against demons and undead, according to what I know there is another way to forge silver but it requires special methods only known to one man: Archsage Calcius. He's an archsage they say has lived for centuries. He has learned nearly everything there is to know about the world and the only reason he continues is so that he can teach what he knows to the younger generations. If there is **anyone **other than one of Vaile's master smiths who knows about metal working, it would be him."

Albert felt a great deal of sympathy for Jina. As far as she knew that sword was the only physical thing left of her father. As he turned to leave the store, Felix came running in, almost running into him.

"Al, there you are! Listen, George just came back in, he said he spotted a group of bandits headed this way. Brock and his squad is away and the Tomas militia is spread thin, we _have_ to do something now!" Albert nodded and looked at John.

"I need a sword for the battle!" Phillip tossed him a steel sword.

"Consider that a loaner until your sword is made. All I ask is that you clean it before you return it!" Albert nodded and took off out of the store.

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As lightning flashed overhead, a young boy in a black cloak slipped through the shadows from building to building trying to peek and see who was inside. When he had circled all the way around the town square and back again, he finally stopped just outside the town gates and sighed.

"Father, where are you? sniff I-I'm not ready to be alone."

A gruff voice behind him made him jump.

"Oh, yer not alone little boy, you've the company of Bloodbeard's Bandits, har har! Now don't you fret, I'm sure there'll be _plenty_ of opportunities for you to prove yer worth to us. If not, then we can just slit yer throat. One more body doesn't matter, even if it's just a kid."

The boy went pale as he looked at the bandits around him. He sighed again.

(_Father would __**never**__ have allowed himself to be caught like this. Some thief I turned out to be._)

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Albert blew through the door to the inn and called the squad to attention. Only Francois, who had been patroling since yesterday, didn't get up.

"Listen up, George saw bandits coming this way, most likely by now they are close to the gates. Since the Tomas militia is otherwise occupied and Brock's squad is likewise gone it falls to us to protect the village. Obviously we need a squad to stay behind to protect the town square from any bandits that get through, your orders are to eliminate all enemies and protect as many houses and people as possible. If a bandit gets to a house it's occupants are as good as dead and the house will be torched. If fire does break out, keep it from spreading to the other houses. Gordon, I want you to be in charge of the second squad."

Albert looked over the soldiers he had and nodded.

"Felix, you, Kate, George, Cal, Jenn, Sue, and Aunen come with me. The rest of you stay back and away from the fight. Sue, as our only healer you will stay back and away from the fighting, if one of us is injured we will come to you not you to us. I _**don't**_ want anyone dying out there today, no heroes, you get hurt, get the hell out of there. Move out!"

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Just as Albert stepped outside, he bumped into Jina who held her hunting bow in her hands. Albert cocked an eyebrow at her. She nodded sharply.

"I may not have a sword but Albert, you need more archers. I was one of the best shots in Vespa next to Cal and I can hold my own."

Knowing he didn't have the luxury of argueing, Albert meekly nodded and continued to the west gate where George had seen the bandits.

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The alarm bell tolling was the first clue to Albert that the town now knew of the bandits and were now trying to close their homes. Just as he arrived close to the gate he saw the bandits coming in through the gate. There were a number of myrmidons, bandit fighters, archers and even a mage and a healer. Albert also noticed a small figure slinking slowly toward a building with a fighter right behind him.

Slowly, Albert snuck around to the house and managed to overhear them.

"Now listen you lil' whelp, you don't steal, you don't live. Pay _extra _close attention to the mayor and militia commander's houses, they're said to have some really good stuff in there." The little thief sobbed slightly.

"I don't want to steal, I just want to find my father-" He was silenced by a slap from the bandit.

"You'll steal what we want otherwise, you'll be searching for your father in the great beyond." Albert nodded.

(_Poor kid, dragged into this mess and all he wants is his dad. Hmmm, if I can remove his 'encouragement' perhaps he'll help us._ _I'll have to move to him quickly though, once they learn what I'm doing they'll try to kill him._)

Albert moved back to where Aunen was waiting.

"Aunen, listen, I think there is one of their party who is hesitant to fight. I'm going to try and get close to him and talk him out of fighting us I want you and Jenn to back me up, okay?" Aunen nodded and shut the viser on his helm. Albert turned to his group.

"Okay everyone, protection of the village's people and houses are paramount, you see a villager or a house in danger, you gut the dastard trying to harm them. If you get to a house that is not closed, help the villager shut the house, who knows, something may come of it." Everyone nodded and spread out, ready to repel the bandits.

Albert jumped aboard Midnight, Aunen's horse, and together they rode toward the bandits on the far side of the gate near the gate watchman's home. Jenn followed and saw a house with an elderly woman trying to close up everything.

With a wave of her hand, Jenn managed to close the more stubborn windows and also helped the woman close the nearby cellar door. When finished, the elderly woman turned.

"Thank you young girl for helping me. My son is one of the members of the militia and is never home. Here, my husband used to be a mage before he passed away, he would be glad to know his magic is still being passed on."

Jenn was surprised when the woman handed her an _Elfire_ tome and finally bolted the door behind her.

Aunen and Cal came up and spotted the bandit near the kid who Albert had noticed. Cal fired an arrow, wounding and panicking the thug allowing Aunen to charge forward and finish him off. Seeing his chance, Albert ran toward the boy who, upon seeing him, dropped his knife and raised his hands.

"Don't kill me! I surrender!" Albert hastily sheathed his sword and held out a hand.

"I know, don't worry. I saw you were being held against your will. Tell me something, why are you here alone anyway; don't you have parents to watch out for you?" The boy nodded.

"My father, but I was separated from him a few days ago, I don't know where he is or if he's okay. I've been searching for him ever since." Albert nodded.

"What's your name?" The child pulled back his hood revealing short black hair.

"M-My name's Y-Yohan. Um... I don't know alot about fighting but my father _**did**_ teach me how to pick locks and everything. If you help me find my father, I can help you. Please?" Albert paused, then nodded.

"I promise, we'll help you find your father. I'll keep you safe. Welcome, Yohan, to the Caiber Rangers. I'm Albert, the leader of the Rangers." Yohan smiled broadly and nodded.

"I won't let you down Commander!" The title took Albert back, he had never been addressed as 'Commander' before. Still though, Yohan was safe and now the only bandits left were all enemies.

George rode over to a bandit who was about to enter a house and ran him through with his lance. Felix and Kate ran forward to guard Cal.

The bandits advanced attempting to strike at Cal and Albert. Thankfully, Kate and Felix protected Cal from the enemy Myrmidon and Albert was able to counter the axe strike of the bandit. Albert saw something move out of the corner of his eye and saw two archers about to get into range.

"Enemy archers! Everyone take cover!"

The archers were closing when suddenly arrows sprouted from both of their backs. The sound of horses coming got Albert's attention. He turned and saw two Cavaliers approaching, each had a bow and rode toward him. The first one spoke.

"You Albert?"Albert nodded unsure at first.

"Name's Miguel, me and Tompkins are with the Tomas Militia. However, I underestimated the courage of our militia commander. The gutless coward is hiding in his own home and has failed to call the remaining militia out to fight. We're going against his orders but we won't stand by and let the people of our village suffer due to one man's cowardice. You can count us as being under your command." Albert nodded thankful for the help.

"We grateful for the help. You're Bow Cavaliers right?" The two riders nodded.

"Alright, help us push the enemy back and secure the houses along the way."

The Cavaliers nodded and rode into the Main Street.

Yohan stayed by Albert as he made his way to another open house. The owner was a former member of the militia and gave Albert a Silver Short Sword for helping him. George helped another homeowner and got a Vulnerary. Jenn crossed the street and helped protect the last house on the street which happened to be the home of the village banker who rewarded her with 5000 Gold.

Aunen rode down another archer who was trying to sneak up on Albert. Kate attacked another Myrmidon and Felix went after the Mage. Miguel and Felix attacked the Cleric. Albert saw all that was left was the enemy leader who was both angry and worried.

Albert charged forward with George, Yohan, and Cal. As he approached, the leader drew a Steel Axe and charged at Yohan, however, Albert blocked him and countered.

"Gaar! Damn! W-Why're you helpin' that brat? He's nothin' but another two bit thug, even if he's jest a kid!" Albert frowned as he saw Yohan's frightened face by George.

"It's the right thing to do."

Albert struck the bandit leader and the blade passed cleanly through the thug's neck. With a quick flourish to rid the blade of blood, Albert returned the sword to it's sheath. Turning he saw his troops all standing there smiling.

"What? Did I say something?" George laughed.

"Nah, it's just that the Commander would be proud of how far you've come in such a short time. Al, Yohan was right, you're acting just like the Commander." Albert thought for a moment then smiled.

"Yeah...I guess you're right. Although I have no illusions of trying to replace him."

"We know."

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**OC's In This Chapter:**

**Jina:** Ranger: Lvl: 5. Sword Skill: 'C' Bow Skill: 'D' Equipment: Iron Bow, Steel Short Sword, Vulnerary.

_The only child of Vespa militia commander Vesper Stanton. An expert shot with a bow and a strong sword arm thanks to her father's constant drilling. __Hates being left out of things because she is Vesper's daughter._

**Miguel: **Cavalier: Lvl: 7. Bow Skill: 'D' Axe Skill: 'D'. Equipment: Iron Bow, Bronze Axe, Vulnerary.

_One of two cavaliers from Tomas militia and Tompkins' best friend. A better rider than his friend but a worse shot. Like Tompkins, has unwavering loyalty to the defence of Tomas and is constantly at odds with the militia commander. Constant punishment by cutting wood for said arguements has led to his axe skill being equal to that of any other axe user in the militia._

**Tompkins: **Cavalier: Lvl: 8. Bow Skill: 'C' Sword Skill: 'E'. Equipment: Steel Bow, Bronze Sword, Vulnerary.

_Another of the cavaliers who joins the group at Tomas.__Though a better shot than Miguel, he is a poor bordering on abysmal rider. Fairing only slightly better than Cal when mounted. His intense bow training has left his sword work with a lot to be desired._

**Yohan: **Thief: Lvl: 4. Knife Skill: 'D' Short Sword Skill: 'E' Equipment: Iron Knife, Bronze Short Sword, Vulnerary, Sweet Roll.

_The only child of a legendary assassin known as 'the Wolf'. He doesn't wish to follow in his father's footsteps but takes pride in his thieving skills. Doesn't steal from people who are poor and don't have much and always gives what gold he earns (or steals) to people in need of it. Has a weakness for sweets like all children._

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**Classes Listed In This Chapter**:

**Ranger: **Hunters and mercenaries experienced with both Bow and Sword. High Skill, HP, and Attack. Average Defense and Magic. Uses Bows and Swords. Tier 1 class.

**Thief: **Pickpockets and rogues who have a talent for picking locks and stealing items. Low stats all around but can become competent with training. Uses Knives and Short Swords. Tier 1 class.

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Okay everyone, sorry about posting an incomplete chapter. It took me a while to review the story and I came across it.

Also, as my projects are beginning to stack up, and things at home are going to hell in a handbasket, I'm asking for reviews to help me prioritize the stories I write.

As always, reviews are welcome be you visitor or member. As always, ya'll be blessed, Launces Mechanist, over and out.


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